Blog Archives

Friday, August 29th

8/28/2014

Starter (5-7 minutes)
What was something someone in the seminar yesterday said that either surprised you or you found to be insightful and made you think? Describe what that person said and explain your reaction.

Agenda
1. Review the seminar reflection guidelines and rubric
2. Review what a TEA paragraph is
3. Start working on your seminar reflection

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Wednesday, August 27th

8/27/2014

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Agenda
1. Homework questions and trouble shooting?
2. Review Crash film guide
3. Finish Crash

Seminar Resources

Tomorrow's Seminar Groups
Seminar Rubric
Seminar Questions (for use during the seminar-- feel free to review before the seminar so you can rock it!)
See the homework page for seminar prep handouts

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Tuesday, August 26th

8/26/2014

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Today's Driving Questions:
1. What is racism and how does it play out in today's society?
2. How might it end?

Starter
Finish yesterday's 4 corners activity

Social class is more relevant than race in determining someone’s likelihood of success.
Affirmative action is reverse discrimination

Affirmative Action refers to a policy or program providing advantages for minority groups who have experienced historical discrimination with the aim of creating a more egalitarian society through preferential access to education, employment, health care, and social welfare. Includes racial minorities, women,and folks with disabilities.

Agenda
1. Finish syllabus stuff

Class A: How to submit work + essay feedback guidelines and Seminar Make-up spiel
Class B: The Big Class Norms and Q an A
Classroom orientation (Teatime, book checkout forms, storing binders, pushing in chairs and general tidiness)
Using school email accounts
Clarify seminar prep guidelines (extra hard copies are available)

2. Key Terms powerpoint (Take notes using the Racism in the U.S./Crash Seminar Prep guide)

First discuss definitions in small groups based on your prior knowledge

3. Take notes using the Racism in the U.S./Crash Seminar Prep guide as we watch the two video clips posted below (American History X and The Daily Show)

4. Begin watching Crash (first 15 minutes)

Homework:
1. Watch the Daily Show video below and fill out the boxes on your seminar prep guide in response to it.
2. Choose one more article below and react to it: How does it answer out BIG Questions for this week?
Additional resources:

Discrimination in job hiring (resumes with white-sounding names v. black-sounding names and # of call backs)
An article from a white mother's perspective
twitter feeds in support of Darren Wilson-- the police officer who shot Michael Brown
Evidence on colorblind ideology vs. a multicultural perspective

Historical Context

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Monday, August 25

8/25/2014

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This Week's Big Questions:

What is racism and how does it play out in today's society?
How might it end?

Starter:

Write the date! Always, please!
React to the TED Talk by Clint Smith on "The Danger of Silence"

What lines struck you as powerful?
Why would I show this film given the questions we are exploring this week?

TURN IN THE LAST PAGE OF COURSE SYLLABUS

Agenda
*Announcements and homework for the week

1. What all do we know about the Michael Brown shooting? (today is his funeral)

2. Read and discuss "Willing to be Disturbed"

3. Establish ground rules for our discussions on race

Oops/Ouch
Speak your truth while listening with an open heart to others’
Be “Willing to be disturbed”

4. Four Corners

In America, everyone has equal opportunity to lead a successful, happy life.
Social class is more relevant than race in determining someone’s likelihood of success.
In order to combat racism, we should all try to be colorblind.
Affirmative action is reverse discrimination

Affirmative Action refers to a policy or program providing advantages for minority groups who have experienced historical discrimination with the aim of creating a more egalitarian society through preferential access to education, employment, health care, and social welfare. We will be focusing on race-based educational affirmative action.

5. Go over this week's homework and seminar prep packet (and a note about seminar requirements)

Open the document with google docs
Save the document with your name in the title
Share it with me so that I can EDIT it

6. Review my class norms/values

Any disagreement? Will these things contribute to a just classroom committed to excellence? Any additions or subtractions?
Any other questions about my syllabus?

7. Junior Seminar Information with Zoe

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Extra Credit!

8/23/2014

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Look at you, checkin' out my beautiful DP! For 2 extra credit process points, send me an email by Monday morning at 8:14 a.m., using professional email etiquette as outlined in my syllabus, that answers these two questions:

1. What is something you are looking forward to about this school year?
2. What is something that you would love to learn or create in Humanities class this year?

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Friday, August 22

8/22/2014

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Today's Questions:

What is the difference between a just an unjust law?
What qualities are necessary for a just classroom?
What does the Michael Brown police shooting and public reaction suggest about race relations in the U.S. today?

Annotations on Dr. King's letter are due today!!!

Starter: After viewing the images Ashley shows you, react in writing. If you are stuck, here are some prompts to spur your writing:

What do you already know about the Michael Brown police shooting?
What are your thoughts on the photographs? What would it be like to have that going on in Durango?
Could this happen in Durango?
Why are people protesting? Do you think they are justified in their protest?
What do you think about the presence and attitude of the police and National Guard?

Starter Follow-up

Listen to NPR radio clips
What does the Michael Brown police shooting and the public's reaction suggest about race relations in the United States today?
Do you agree that militarization of police is a reality? If so, is that justified?

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Start getting in the habit of checking my dp- you never know when it might "pay" off!
Honors Application is due 9/8 (pick up your primary source documents for your research)
Link for NEW DEAL timeline for honors
Review homework for Monday + permission form for Crash
Storing binders in my classroom
Hang onto articles/reading assignments this year
School pictures will be Wed. 8/27
Honors lunch meeting Wed. 8/27

AGENDA
1. Review what we did yesterday—4 corners prompts, Justice and Civil Disobedience definitions
2. Time for you to review yesterday's reading and seminar questions (get out your annotations so Ashley can check)
3. Review Seminar Expectations
4. Whole class seminar on Dr. King's letter

Seminar Questions

Clarify any confusions still remaining
Share quote selections
How does Dr. King distinguish between an unjust and just law?
Do you agree that we have a moral responsibility to obey just laws and disobey unjust laws?
How do we decide what is just or unjust?
Would you ever sacrifice your freedom or life in the way MLK and other civil rights activists did?
Do you believe he deserves to pay for breaking an unjust law?
Critics of King’s tactics said the fight for desegregation should happen in the courts, not on the streets. Do you agree? Do you trust our “Justice system”?
King argues freedom is never voluntarily given up by the oppressor. Do you agree? What other political/social event supports your opinion?
Bring in what is happening in Ferguson! In what ways does or does NOT King's letter offer guidance in how we might react to Ferguson?

5. Go over part of the course syllabus

Read the introduction and project explanation
Junior Year expectations (spiel from Ashley)
Honors application

6. Free Write
Journal on the three following prompts

What are your concerns/fears and excitements about Junior Year?
What have you learned so far in your HS career to help you excel this year?
What do you still need improvement on in order to be successful (in Humanities and in general)

7. Whole Class Discussion on "What makes a just/good classroom"

What are your concerns/fears and excitements about Junior Year? What have you learned so far in your HS career to help you excel this year? What do you still need improvement on in order to be successful (in Humanities and in general)
What does justice in the classroom look like?
What does project-based learning mean to you?
What is the role of a teacher in a project-based learning school?
What is the role of a student?
What have been your favorite projects and why?
When is the last time you learned something of value and what conditions (in yourself, in your learning environment, or in your teacher) enabled you to learn it?
What does close student-teacher relationships mean to you? Do you think it is important?

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Thursday, August 21: First day of school!

8/21/2014

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December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks

Source: New York Times Victim: Walter Gadsen Birmingham Campaign, 1963

Source: Jeff Widener of the Associated Press Tiananmen Square June 5th 1989

Today’s Question:
What is the difference between a just and unjust law?

Today's Goals:

Understand King’s distinction between just and unjust laws
Evaluate why we have laws
Develop your perspective on whether a law is just or not

Starter (in your Humanities notebook)
A. Respond to 2 of the following 4 prompts:

The death penalty is a fair law
We should be required to wear our seat belts
We should have laws
We should obey the law

B. Make a name tent like Ashley's example

Your first name
Two of your interests/passions

AGENDA
1. Welcome and Introductions

2. Today's Key Terms

JUSTICE (why are these definitions problematic?)

based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair
getting what one deserves (punishment or reward)
fairness

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE: The deliberate violation of a law for SOCIAL purpose (not individual or private gain)

Food for thought: But why would someone protest laws? How do we determine which laws are protest-worthy? (review civil disobedience images-- what made these folks protest?)

3. Four Corners

4. Whole Class: Where do beliefs come from?

5. Discussion

A. As a group decide which of these following 3 statements you most agree with and then come up with a law that proves each statement true (past or present law). Lastly, write your law on the board under the correct column.

Laws should be designed to maximize our safety/security
Laws should be designed to maximize our freedom
Laws should be designed to maximize equality

B. Whole class discussion: discuss the tension between security/liberty/equality

6. Read Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter From a Birmingham Jail"

Highlight a section/quote that strikes you as powerful/inspiring/convincing
Highlight the line that best describes Dr. King's distinction b/w a just law and unjust law
Highlight the lines where King defends his "direct action" methods compared to courtroom negotiation
Circle any words or ideas that you don't understand
When you finish, grab a copy of my class syllabus and begin reading through it and jotting down questions on the last page.

7. Class Seminar on Dr. King's Letter
SEMINAR RUBRIC (just to review, this is not graded)

Clarify any confusions still remaining
Share quote selections
How does Dr. King distinguish between an unjust and just law?
Do you agree that we have a moral responsibility to obey just laws and disobey unjust laws?
How do we decide what is just or unjust?
Would you ever sacrifice your freedom or life in the way MLK and other civil rights activists did?
Do you believe he deserves to pay for breaking an unjust law?
Critics of King’s tactics said the fight for desegregation should happen in the courts, not on the streets. Do you agree? Do you trust our “Justice system”?
King argues freedom is never voluntarily given up by the oppressor. Do you agree? What other political/social event supports your opinion?

8. Welcome to Ashley's beautiful DP!

9. Homework/Class Biz

Enter homework in planners
Honors application + brief overview of Honors Humanities
Announcements
See the tab "Homework/Calendar" for details on this week's homework plus important links

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Daily Blog

Friday, August 29th

Wednesday, August 27th

Tuesday, August 26th

Monday, August 25

Extra Credit!

Friday, August 22

Thursday, August 21: First day of school!

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Ashley Carruth